South Bay angles for A's; Aging facility in Oakland is at heart of tug-of-war

Don Barreau loves the Oakland A's. A season-ticket holder since the 1980s, Barreau's involvement with the team reached new heights a few years later when he became the president of the A's Booster Club.

"I like the Coliseum and I like my spot," Barreau said during Saturday's game against the Giants.

But Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig does not share his affection for Network Associates Coliseum.

"Clearly for this club to be competitive in the future it needs a new venue," Selig said in a release following a May visit to the stadium. "Once people around you start getting new ballparks and generating more revenue, it becomes hard for that particular franchise to compete."

A's owner Steve Schott shares Selig's opinion and has advocated moving the A's to a new stadium. "We need a new facility to insure the A's will be financially competitive for the long term," Schott said in a statement at the time. "We can't achieve that goal in our present facility."

The A's are open to a new stadium in Oakland, but another proposal the team has entertained is a move to the South Bay. And some South Bay boosters would like to see the team move to the San Jose area.

The Bay Area is the nation's fourth-largest baseball market, according to an article on Internet magazine Diamondangle.com, and even split into three parts, all three would stay in the top 15.

Larry Stone, the Santa Clara County Assessor, is on the executive committee of Baseball San Jose, a group that is attempting to lure the A's or any major league baseball team.

"Every complete metropolitan city needs a few things: the arts buildings, the education facilities and the vibrant retail," said Stone. "Sports teams are just part of that."

It seems like a perfect match: the A's want to move, San Jose wants the team. So why are the A's still in Oakland? The answer: An early 1990s agreement between Major League Baseball and the San Francisco Giants that granted the National League team exclusive territorial rights to Santa Clara County. That means no other team may move there - nor could a new team be based there - without the Giants' permission.

Giants owner Peter Magowan has used the agreement to block an A's move, citing a large revenue source from the South Bay that he claims would be lost if the move was made.

But many A's and Giants fans doubt that an A's move to the South Bay would have a major effect on the Giants.

"I wouldn't care if the A's moved to the Santa Clara area," said Scott Myers, 30, a die-hard Giants fan from Santa Clara. "They could move into my back yard and I still wouldn't support them. Giants for life!"

Of course, many A's fans in Oakland don't want to see their beloved team leave town.

"For me personally, the fact that I can't get up and go to an A's game is a negative. I would very much dislike the commute," said Oakland native Zach Iohile.

But in the meantime, many A's fans such as Barreau are content with the status quo.

"Frankly," he said. "I just like it how it is."